Hungary dismissed international criticism of its new media law on Thursday as government representatives spoke to foreign reporters based in the Hungarian capital, according to dpa. "The government does not have, and should not have anything to do with media regulation," said Zoltan Kovacs, a state secretary responsible from the ministry of public administration and justice. Criticism of the new media law, which has overshadowed the first fortnight of Hungary's EU presidency, centres around the fact that a new Media Council staffed entirely by government nominees. They have nine-year tenure and are responsible for interpreting the law and imposing potentially high fines. However, Kovacs insisted that the Council was appointed by parliament, not the government. "You are questioning the right of Hungary's parliament to decide," Kovacs said.
